15/03/2026
it was a box ticking excercise only. since when does the council listen and act on community input? certainly not in recent times the free camping debate still lingers strong in the mind of locals where 74%of locals said they liked having people about and council acted on the 26% who wanted them gone. the new build on the beach is another example where locals said too high too bulky wrong location not enough parking... now its too bad. couldnt get any answers how or why the current design of the new build changed from that which was put to the community during the masterplan process or why certain design elements like the dump point has been dropped. no one could provide any info on the status of walking paths what was happening at the junction of port rd and moore st. if u asked questions about the forward works in either next year works program or councils 10 yr program u only got a blank stare. there was lucky to be a few residents of the beach there that have been there for 10 yrs or more who understands how the place functions and the values of the location. the new build contradicts councils own urban design guidelines for bt hbr b*h and they say they want to open the new build a month b4 the local govt elections - the build finished or not despite no one around at that time of year. perhaps the night was summed up best when the mayor and dm turned up late only half hr after it started which reflects the degree of contempt and disregard the community at bhb is held by council.
